Tawarthion
by TreehouseCity
Summary: This is a story of how two souls from different worlds became very precious to each other. As they face trial after trial, they help keep each other afloat in the ever tossing waves of the sea of life. {Genres include Humor, Angst, Hurt/comfort, Spiritual, and Family. *Heavy Christian elements, just a heads up!*}
1. Chapter 1

Tawarthion

 _Tawarthion is what he's called. Only a small handful know his true name, and even fewer still, know Tawarthion for who he is; the things he loves, what he believes in, what he dislikes. I count myself among the blessed by being gifted with the opportunity to have met him._

ஜ۩۞۩ஜ

"Eadaion, who is that?" a woman asked upon entering the young girl's room. Eadaion turned from the portrait she'd been tirelessly working on, "Tawarthion." she answered curtly.

"Ah, the young man your father mentioned." The woman then moved to sit beside her daughter who continued with her portrait. It had already been drawn out (though there was a smudge on the ear where she had almost given him a pointed ear by mistake) and half of the image was beautifully painted.

Her curious mother leaned forward and she smiled a pleasant smile, "He looks rather ethereal. Is he like that in person?"

A chuckle escaped the girl, "In a way, yes." she then continued rather excitedly, "Just you wait until it's finished, this may be one of the best I've done in a while."

"Then I'll leave you to it." Her mother left her spot on the chair they briefly shared and headed for the bedroom door, only to pause on her way out, "Speaking of that friend of yours, when will your father and I get the chance to meet him? I'd like to thank him for being a good friend to you."

At this, Eadaion's attention shifted from her artwork and to the window, and she was silent for a few moments of thought until she smiled again, "When the time is right. To be truthful, I can't tell you when that could be since I don't know the day myself."

She then focused her attention back to her portrait, "However, if my hunch is correct, it should be very soon."

This ended the conversation with her mother, and she stared at her daughter's hunched form, pondering her words in her heart. The woman then left the room with a thoughtful smile.

Eadaion sat in a peaceful silence as she worked.

And it is in this silence that a memory sparked in the back of her constantly churning mind; a memory of the time where she had first met Tawarthion in a place called 'Middle Earth'. This story, woven by divine hands, is part of a grand design, though it may seem small to those who partake in it and to those who are mere spectators of it who are, in turn, part of a story of their own that is being stitched together by the same hands.

In fact, it was those divine hands that led her to Middle Earth, and though it may have been a very uncomfortable and strange transition at first, she wouldn't have had it any other way.

ஜ۩۞۩ஜ

Although it was a rather humdrum day ever since she had woken up to the sound of rain and the dull gray of rain clouds that morning, the day started off like any other day in Eadaion's life; forcing herself out of her comfortable bed, making sure she looked presentable at the very least, and leaving the comfort of her home to go school.

Normally, her eyes would have been shifting to the clocks just waiting for the classes to end (even during her favorite lessons) so she could escape the feeling of mundane routine.

However, this day had something else in store for the girl.

During the first few minutes of her morning class, she felt a rather strange feeling within her, as if something were tugging her spirit out of her body. Suddenly she rose from her seat, leaving her body behind, and down below her were two tall men standing on either side of her body; they looked as if they were made of pure light, golden and bright. As she felt that gentle tug a second time the room disappeared and the world around her blurred into an awesome atmosphere of light which lasted for but a moment until it changed again to that of dense treetops letting in just enough light to see. The girl was set down gently onto the grass. For a short while she lay there, trying to process just what had happened and where in the world she was. 

Eadaion hesitantly lifted her head up from the ground and the rest of her body slowly followed suit. The first thing she noticed was that the clothes she had on were not the same as the clothing she wore that morning; a long sleeved, long tunic with simple embroidery and brown boots on her feet. A simple bow lay by her side, paired with a quiver with few arrows in it. A quizzical look formed on her face upon seeing the weapon (for she only dabbled in archery and was, in her eyes, barely above being a novice), but then she truly took in the rather daunting scene of the dark, dense woodland around her.

There was a heaviness in the air that set her on edge and weighed down on her spirit. This forest was not normal, and it looked as if a monster would pop out at any moment.

However, despite the fear the forest instilled, she had a sense of peace within her that everything was as it should be; that there was a reason for her being there. So, even though her flesh was so _bent_ on not moving a single inch and argued with her spirit on either leaving or staying, she took in a deep breath with her newly acquired weapon in hand, gathered her courage and took her first few timid steps that soon became larger steps over foliage and fallen trees into the thick woodland, all as a gentle whisper told her to go on.

ஜ۩۞۩ஜ

The sun was now at its peak, and Eadaion hadn't found a single trace of civilization. The only things she had gotten from this walking so far were scratches on her upper body and streaks of dirt on her face and clothes.

At some point in her wandering, she had begun to hallucinate, seeing forest creatures of unusual colors and creatures that indeed did _not_ belong to _any_ forest on this good earth as she walked through slim, patches of sunlight. At one point, she could have sworn that she was walking backwards!

Just as she was considering of turning back, she yelped as she missed a step and tumbled down a dip in the earth, followed by _cracks_ and _snaps_ of foliage she had barreled through on the way down.

Her gaze was again to the treetops once she settled down on the bottom. She sighed a miserable sigh as she carefully collects herself from the ground.

Thoughts of home gave her _some_ comfort, but it left behind a greater longing and did more harm than good. Her courage gradually depleted as time wore on and she began to think woeful thoughts of ' _where in the world am I?'_ and, ' _how will I ever get back home?'_

Noon soon turned to nightfall and the girl found herself nestled in an abandoned burrow beneath the roots of a large tree. Sleep was hard to come by that night, for the floor was dirty and uncomfortable, the forest was so dark she couldn't see her hand in front of her face, and she had this chilling feeling as if she were being watched. By what, she did not know, and to be honest, she didn't want to find out. Not in _this_ darkness.

The lost girl prayed until she drifted off into an uncomfortable, dreamless rest.

ஜ۩۞۩ஜ

It had been four days since Eadaion's arrival, and she didn't feel like she could go on for much longer. During the night, she had fortunately come across one more deserted burrow until she had to resort to sleeping on the forest floor. She had at least felt somewhat safe in the burrows.

Out in the open she felt _very_ vulnerable to whatever may have been watching her in the darkness (however, two days before, there was a small leather pack of food left for her on that morning and of course she was puzzled as to who may have left it for her, but nevertheless grateful).

She did her best to ration what she had been given, but she ran out much sooner that she'd thought, and there wasn't a speck of food to come by in this forest; there were no berry bushes and she knew absolutely _nothing_ about hunting and the process of preparing meat for eating.

She was dehydrated as well. To be blunt, Eadaion was _miserable._

That morning quickly turned to late noon and Eadaion plopped herself down onto the forest floor, feeling defeated. Never in her life had she _ever_ been this tired, and she was on the verge of tears.

So, there she lay, thinking more woeful thoughts which gradually turned to ponderings of what Heaven is like, since she knew for certain that she was going to die in this forest.

Before she knew it, she drifted off into a light sleep, and by the time she woke, it was close to evening again.

 _Welp, time to die._

Eadaion immediately rebuked herself for that thought, and contemplated on whether to try and find a place to sleep for the night or stay where she was.

Suddenly, she heard strange sounds in the distance among the trees, a collection of hissing and growling, along with the snapping of branches and undergrowth. And it was all coming towards her at a frightening speed.

Eadaion's eyes widened. It all happened so fast; one moment she's kicking up dirt and grass trying to get to her feet (she was in such a panic that she nearly left her bow behind), next she's running for her life through the nightmarish woods as the unknown chased after her.

ஜ۩۞۩ஜ

Unknown to the girl, there was another person in this forest, travelling among the treetops with admirable speed (for he had heard the commotion and set out to investigate, though he had a good hunch of what caused it).

The warrior came to a quick stop and, keeping his balance on a thick tree branch, peered down below him. What he saw made him bristle, for his hunch had been right; those wretched things were back again, and they were after the girl.

Quick as lightning, he turned and set off on a different route, one that he was sure would get him to girl without being spotted by those beasts.

ஜ۩۞۩ஜ

As Eadaion came to a sudden halt in another small clearing a giant spider came crashing down from above, landing right in front of her. It was the most horrendous thing she had ever seen and it shocked her so badly that her scream got caught in her throat.

With her bow in hand, Eadaion took a couple of steps back and when the beast lunged for her, she reached for an arrow and shot at her attacker.

It let out a loud, pained shriek; thought it was a wild shot, the arrow Eadaion let loose hit one of its eyes. It was enough to distract it from her and she made a run for it but she came to a skidding halt as another spider blocked her path and a third one appeared when she tried to escape a third time.

Eyes wide with fear, Eadaion backed up as the spiders advanced towards her. She stole a quick glance behind her and, seeing an opening, she booked it. Her heart pounded against her chest and her lungs began to burn. but the girl kept running until she came crashing and stumbling through a thin wall of low hanging branches and undergrowth. She landed roughly on the forest floor.

When one of the spiders made a move to attack, a lone figure landed hard just a few feet in front of the girl, and the beasts came to an abrupt halt at the appearance of this new being.

It straightened itself up and, gazing fiercely at the beasts through the hood of its cloak, drew out a gleaming sword with a golden hilt. For a brief second all was still. Then chaos ensued when the biggest of the three beasts let out cry and lunged at the warrior, followed by the other two. The warrior fought fearlessly and skillfully against them; the first was taken down within a matter of seconds with the warrior's blade piercing through the head.

The second spider lunged at the warrior just as it freed its blade from the dead, and for a moment the beast had its new prey pinned to the forest floor but the warrior immediately retaliated by grabbing a tight hold of the spider's fangs holding off its attack long enough for the blade to go right through the beast's mouth.

A gurgled shriek resounded throughout the clearing and the warrior swiftly retracted the weapon, leaving the dying spider behind and darted after the third one who had the girl trapped.

The last of Eadaion's arrows protruded out of one of beasts many eyes and the assault provided a small window of time for the hooded warrior to strike with lethal grace and speed – it leapt through the air, onto the spider's back and plunged its blade into the beast's head.

With the last of the spiders dead, all was still again.

Now in slight shock, Eadaion took in deep breaths to calm herself as her brain tried to process what had happened (and that enormous spiders were indeed _real_ ). The sound of blood pounding in her ears gradually died down, her adrenaline rush burned out, and her thinking became slightly more organized.

It was then that she remembered the warrior and she jumped a little bit in fright when she found that it was now crouched at eye level with her. The blade had been wiped clean and placed back in its scabbard. In the dim evening light, she confirmed that the warrior was indeed a male; clad in light armor, his shoulders were broad and his build was firm.

He expressed no hostility or malice, merely curiosity and interest. Something about him was very peaceable, and yet, Eadaion was still somewhat fearful of him. How he took down the spiders was a great factor in this fear and an uninvited shiver ran down her spine.

Before Eadaion could even think of saying anything, the man extended a hand towards her, and when she didn't take it, only giving him a look of wariness, he set his hand back to his side and spoke in a gentle voice, "Peace now; I will not harm you."

Eadaion was hesitant for a moment longer and when she saw that he, indeed, made no move to harm her and stayed where he was (out of her personal space), she visibly relaxed.

"You are hurt," the warrior said.

Eadaion took a quick look at herself and realized that he was right, for she had skinned her forearm (part of the sleeve had been torn away as well) and she hadn't known about it until now.

And that was when it decided to sting and cause her grief.

Eadaion hissed a little from the harsh sting, "How did I not feel that?" she questioned to herself as the man reached into a small bag at his side and pulled out a small container, along with a flask of water and a rag.

"What's that?" Eadaion asked softly.

"Medicine," he answered, "it'll help you heal faster. Let me see your arm."

Though hesitant at first, Eadaion did as she was told and the man gently took her forearm in hand and poured water over the wound to rid it of dirt, blood and other nasty things. This alone made the wound sting again and she grimaced as he cleaned it with the rag he had gotten from his bag. To her relief the rag was clean, for he had said so himself (and it didn't look dirty from what she could see).

He offered her the skin of water and the girl took it gratefully, drinking modest gulps as he dipped his fingers into the now open container and gently slathered a thick, green paste onto her wound. The medicine made her forearm tingly and soon numbed the pain.

Eadaion tried to give the water back to the man before her but he, looking up from his work, gave her a gentle nod of approval for her to drink the rest of it.

ஜ۩۞۩ஜ

The warrior was just fastening a bandage in place over Eadaion's forearm as the forest grew dimmer from the setting sun.

After thanking the man for treating her wound and for saving her life from the jaws (fangs, perhaps?) of those wretched spiders, she asked for his name and of where she was. "Tawarthion," he answered, the name rolling off his tongue, "and you are in Mirkwood, woodland realm of the Elvenking; Thranduil."

Her face paled at this; she had been trespassing in someone else's territory for the past four to five days, and she wondered how she had not been found until now. For a brief moment, she counted herself blessed, for if she had been found she would have been questioned, and there was no way they'd believe that she just appeared out of the blue.

Not only this, but it was an _Elven_ king. The little knowledge she had of elves was that they were either cunning and not too friendly, or mischievous and silly, like little children. Or just flat out evil. So, given Tawarthion's peaceful countenance and the kindness he had given her so far, she didn't know what to think of him.

She had also learned that Tawarthion was Captain of the King's guard, and this frightened her as well, for if he wanted to, he could have taken her to the king for trespassing; but he didn't. He wouldn't. Though he didn't tell her all of this, he knew where she was from and how she ended up in Mirkwood. There was no reason for him to take her to Thranduil.

However, any more questions would be saved for later. For the forest was growing dimmer by the minute and neither of them wanted to go stumbling into more spiders in the dark (or any time of day for that matter).

Knowing that she didn't have a place to stay, he offered her his home for the night and to ease any concerns she may have had, he made it clear to her that he wouldn't be there for the night, for he had to go back to the king.

Despite any hesitation she may have felt, Eadaion felt compelled to go with him and it was a feeling that she could not ignore. So, with Tawarthion in the lead, the two souls weaved their way on through Mirkwood.

ஜ۩۞۩ஜ

The light of the moon shone down through the trees as the two walked. Tawarthion had little trouble, for he was used to walking this far. Eadaion, on the other hand, felt as if she had been walking for _ages._

She looked up as they entered a small clearing, hoping to be at their destination, but her hopes were crushed when she saw more trees.

A weak chuckle escaped her and she stated rather sarcastically, "Oh, good - more forest."

"We're almost there." Tawarthion reassured with a tiny smirk of amusement, one that Eadaion could not see.

On they walked until Eadaion noticed that the heaviness she once felt on her spirit was lifted, if only a little bit, and her spirit felt more at ease. She couldn't understand why, for everything looked the same in this darkness; if they entered a different land, she wouldn't have been able to tell.

The two stop at a cluster of large trees with wide trunks.

Tawarthion looked up, gave a curt nod to the trees, and what happened next left Eadaion speechless; the trees moved at his command and revealed a small but cozy looking house. Eadaion looked to Tawarthion, to the trees, and back to Tawarthion.

The warrior looked to her and motioned for her to follow him inside, smiling a little to himself at her speechlessness and shock.

Inside, Eadaion instantly felt much safer, now that she wasn't easy prey to whatever else may be lurking in the darkness of Mirkwood.

Once Tawarthion got a small fire going and the room fairly lit, the girl was able to get a better look at him, and she began to feel rather intimidated; he was _tall_ (he was especially tall for an elf) _._ She was surprised that he even fit inside the house. His hair was a rich, deep brown with hints of golden strands here and there (he had taken his hood off upon entering), and it looked as if it would feel like silk had she touched it. It stopped just below his shoulders and there was a single, intricate braid woven into it.

"Why do you stare?" Tawarthion asked coolly, tipping his head to the side, much to Eadaion's embarrassment. She had been _staring_ at him and hadn't realize it.

"I- I apologize, I hadn't meant for any discomfort," Eadaion stumbled, "It's just that I didn't get a good look at you before and I was just . . . curious. . ?"

Tawarthion arched a finely sculpted eyebrow, "Curious?"

"Yes." Eadaion answered meekly.

"I see," Tawarthion said and moved to stand closer to her. If she hadn't felt intimidated before, she did then; she barely stood up to his chest and she had to incline her head a bit to look him in his golden-brown eyes, "I have given you my name. Now I ask for yours in return."

The girl blinked before responding, "Eadaion. My name is Eadaion."

From there, Tawarthion showed her around the small house and where she was to sleep. Yes, it was his bed, and this bothered Eadaion for she felt that she was intruding. Tawarthion gently dismissed it, saying that she needed it more than he and that all was well.

There was plenty of food for her and she needn't fear the creatures of Mirkwood; they didn't dare come near his home. As Tawarthion left, Eadaion heard the rustling of leaves and soft groans as the trees moved to conceal the house once more.

A soft sigh escaped her lips and she carefully climbed into the bed after gazing at it with slight hesitation. She _was_ hungry, but she had been much too tired to eat. After a short prayer she soon drifted into a restful slumber that night.

ஜ۩۞۩ஜ

The next couple of days of her stay at Tawarthion's home were quite peaceful and relieving after spending days wandering aimlessly in Mirkwood. Her wound had healed rather quickly and she was able to get herself cleaned up.

On the last day, Tawarthion was able to stay with her (his job had kept him away until then). And it was on that day that Tawarthion revealed to her his knowledge of her world and how that came to be, for it was in the same fashion as how Eadaion was taken to Mirkwood.

"When it first happened, I was very confused, as you can imagine," he said, "And yet, at the same time there was this peace within me, that I was supposed to be there or there's something for me there." He then revealed to her that from the day of her arrival to the spider attack, he had been watching her (albeit, not 24/7, but whenever his job had allowed it).

What he had seen upon her arrival was a hand made of light coming down from the clouds that settled below the trees, and because all of this happened in spiritual realm, Tawarthion alone had seen it all (for he was able to see what goes on in the spirit).

Almost immediately he felt compelled to follow the light, and that was when Eadaion had set out to find help. Luckily, Tawarthion was a brilliant tracker and found her very quickly without being noticed by her. The moment he saw Eadaion he felt drawn to her spirit, a feeling that he could not ignore even if he wanted to.

He did his best to keep his fellow elves from noticing her presence during Eadaion's wandering, and at one point they almost caught her; but their eyes were not open to see her, much to Tawarthion's relief.

"How long were you there for?" Eadaion asked.

"If I recall correctly . . . a little more than a week," Tawarthion answered, "But when I was taken back home, nothing had changed. I later found that I had only been gone for an hour."

Tawarthion then rose to his feet and lead the girl outside, "Speaking of home," he trailed off, looking to the sky, "I believe it is time for you to go back."

Before Eadaion could even think of asking what he meant, she felt a familiar tug on her spirit and the girl was taken away from Tawarthion and back to her classroom where it looked as if she had fallen asleep. Eadaion jolted upright in her seat and her eyes shifted to the wall clock on the other side of the room which read 10:00 am. She had only been gone for an hour.

"Psst!"

Eadaion jumped and turned to the boy next to her, "Are you okay?" he whispered.

"Y-yes," Eadaion answered, her shock making her stumble just a tad, "W-why do you ask?"

"Well, you practically passed out in your seat. One moment you were wide awake, then you were fast asleep. Of course, you did miss the lesson," Eadaion's face paled at this, "but it's okay; it was just a rundown of what we already know, nothing to worry about." he reassured with an amused grin.

He then added, "You are, however, lucky that Ms. Lundgren didn't notice you were asleep. _And_ that we're near the back of the class."

ஜ۩۞۩ஜ

Time wore on after her first encounter with Middle Earth, and Eadaion did her very best to concentrate in school and daily life, but it was quite a challenge. Often, her thoughts would drift back to Tawarthion.

There was something about his spirit that drew her to him, and she wanted to know what it was. She often prayed about it, for it was a nagging feeling (much like the kind you get when have a project due and you don't realize it until the last minute) which _would not_ go away.

One night, while Eadaion was fast asleep, she found herself back in Middle Earth. This time, however, she had been placed by Tawarthion's home instead of in the middle of Mirkwood.

And there, standing by her as she lay on the ground, was Tawarthion. He watched as the hand of light ascended into the clouds and his attention turned back to Eadaion. He leaned down and said in a gentle voice, "Welcome back."

Within the passage of time their visits became a normal thing for the two. Tawarthion would teach her things of Middle Earth and whenever he was taken to her world, she'd show him wonderful things that he might not have known already (and they often exchanged silly riddles and tongue twisters to pass time).

It was within this time and the passing of more time that the two formed an inseparable bond and became very precious to each other. To be clear, it wasn't a bond of romantic love, but a deeply rooted friendship that could not be undone. Tawarthion cherished this friendship enough to tell her what his true name is, one that very, _very_ few among his fellow elves know.

Then the visits stopped.

For a long time, they did not see each other and their souls were downcast. Little by little their sadness eased as they learned not to rely on people or things for happiness but to keep to their Creator in all things. 

The bond that the two souls had formed did not diminish.

ஜ۩۞۩ஜ

One day, while Tawarthion was on his way home, he stopped mid-step when he saw a rather familiar light descending from the clouds. His breath hitched in his throat, his heart skipped a beat, and for a long moment he was frozen on the spot until he took one (somewhat tentative) step at a time. Those steps quickly turned to long strides as he sped along the well-traveled route to his home through the green wood.

Eadaion was sitting against the trunk of one of the trees surrounding Tawarthion's house, enjoying the peace and sunlight, when he found her. Eadaion looked up to him and she smiled.

A smile he knew too well and missed very much.

As soon as she was on her feet she found herself swallowed up in Tawarthion's arms and a chuckle escaped her as she hugged him back.

"He brought you back to me," she heard him say in his ever gentle voice and the girl lightly patted his head as her smile grew.

That night, the two souls spent the rest of the evening exchanging stories, more riddles and tongue twisters until they became too tired from laughter and sleep to form coherent sentences and drifted off into a restful slumber.

Their bond only continued to grow with time.

ஜ۩۞۩ஜ

A content sigh escaped Eadaion as she took a good look at the portrait before her.

After confirming the portrait finished (and trying her best to dismiss the mistakes that only _she_ noticed) she gently took it in hand and made haste to the living room to show her parents.

"Ah, so this is Tawarthion?" her father asked and received excited nods from Eadaion, "he looks a lot like how you described him to me. It's very well done. However, he practically stares into your soul the longer you look at it." he added as he passed the portrait to his wife.

A small series of knocks resounds throughout the first floor of the house and Eadaion hurried to the front door as her mother went on about how beautiful the painting was.

When she opened the door, her jaw dropped ever so slightly and her eyes lit up; standing on the other side was Tawarthion who smiled warmly at his dearest friend, and that smile made a smile of her own come across.


	2. Chapter 2

_Meeting Eadaion_

"When it first happened, I was very confused, as you can imagine," he said, "And yet, at the same time there was this peace within me, that I was supposed to be there or there's something for me there."

Eadaion was almost perfectly still as she listened to Tawarthion.

All of what he had revealed to her so far was very intriguing, but it also sparked questions; the annoying ones that boggle your mind until you _finally_ get the answers. Such as, _'Why is all of this happening in the first place?'_

"How long were you there for?" Eadaion asked, ignoring her thoughts.

"If I recall correctly . . . a little more than a week," Tawarthion answered, "But when I was taken back home, nothing had changed. I later found that I had only been gone for an hour."

He remembered that day very well, for it was a memory stored with the other memories that he indeed could not forget. He had been sitting quietly at home when it happened, somewhat drained from tracking spiders and other nasty things for almost the entire week.

He felt a tug within him, in his spirit. Before he knew it the room blurred to nothingness and all he saw was a blur of bright light until he was gently set down onto very soft grass beneath a large oak.

The sun was high in the sky and poked through the fresh green leaves of the tree, gently dappling his face with kisses of sunlight. A light breeze tussled his hair as he carefully sat upright.

To the left of him he saw luscious grass, turned golden-green by the light of the sun, and a mass cluster of trees. What he saw to the right made his blood freeze and his heart stop momentarily; there were strange buildings that he had never seen before. They varied very much in size and shape, and there many towers that touched the clouds, much like a castle would or a mountain. The noises that he heard from the area were a bizarre, jumbled mess.

The newness and unfamiliarity of the sight had startled him, if only just a little bit.

As he rose to his feet, he found that his clothes were different as well; he was wearing boots, black ones, but the design and material were not the same as the ones he had previously. His trousers were a deep blue and felt soft to the touch, and his torso was covered with a plain white, long sleeved shirt.

His face was wracked with confusion as he looked at his surroundings again, and that was when he noticed a small house near the woods. He turned to the cluster of buildings and back to the house, contemplating on where he should go (or if he should stay where he was).

He took in a deep, encouraging breath and started for the mess of noise. Perhaps he would have more luck at finding help there, in the city.

It had been a rather long walk but he made it. However, it was _not_ a beautiful sight; there was trash on the streets (which were filthy), the air was most unpleasant and burned his lungs and throat, and there were strange metal carriages racing along the streets.

It was most unlike any city he had _ever_ seen in his life. Despite that he continued and tried to ask for where he was, but the people ignored and brushed past him, seemingly too busy to bother with him.

ஜ۩۞۩ஜ

A heavy sigh escaped him as he plopped down onto the comfortable grass, back underneath the large oak from where he had started from, as he tried to gather his wits together. He had been spent that day wandering the city and had quite miraculously found his way back to it.

As that day may not have been one of busiest days he's had in his lifetime, it had certainly been one of the most mentally exhausting; there were so many new sights, sounds, smells, and _things_ that he had quickly become overwhelmed at the unfamiliarity of it all.

The oak had given him _some_ comfort, away from the unappealing city. Many of the people were rude and most unhelpful, but he was grateful for the small handful who were kind enough to try to help him out (even though their help did very little for him).

Their common tongue was similar to what was spoken in Middle Earth, but it was indeed different, and he had trouble understanding them.

So, there he lay, taking in the comfortable scents of the grass and earth beneath him to calm himself.

Then he remembered the little house he had seen earlier that day.

As he gazed at it he felt a slight pull within him, as if it were beckoning for him to come closer. So, with slight hesitation of thinking over his decision (since his city decision had been a bust), he made his way over to the small abode with sore legs.

ஜ۩۞۩ஜ

After knocking a second time he let out a silent sigh as he waited for someone to come to door. He lightly chewed on his lip while getting a closer look at the house, which suspiciously looked a lot like his own back in Middle-Earth. There was a small garden underneath a bay window near the front with flowering bushes and Sunflowers.

Exactly how _his_ garden had looked.

 _Huh, peculiar._

After a long stretch of silence, he walked over to the bay window and, carefully stepping over the flowers, peered inside.

His eyes widened at the similarities this house had to his own on the inside and he quickly made up his mind to invite himself in (to his surprise, the door was unlocked).

He tentatively opened the door and poked his head inside, wary of what or who he might find, despite the obvious fact that no one was home. Having been greeted with utter silence, he took one step at a time inside.

The fireplace, the furniture, and the layout, even the windows were in the exact same places.

This house was eerily like his own and the more he looked around on the inside, the more disturbed he became.

". . . Hello?" he called out. When no one answered, he sighed again and sat down on the floor (he wasn't exactly comfortable with sitting on someone else's furniture without permission). After a short bit of sitting and thinking of what to do next, he heard a very gentle whisper within him.

 _The house is yours._

He had been in this new world for about a week after his first day, and in that time, he was given the gift of new speech which allowed him to speak with others and to learn more about the land.

Once home, he panicked at first because there was no way he'd be able to explain to the king about his week-long absence, but he then realized that everything had been the same as when he left it. He was still at his house, and his absence lasted no longer than an hour.

As odd as it was he took a liking to these visits to Earth. It gave him the opportunity to briefly forget about his troubles, and the newness of Earth had been very enticing to his curious mind.

After long years of acquiring new knowledge, the visits stopped, only happening every once in a while.

That is why Tawarthion had been so drawn to the light when he saw it descend from the clouds, why he had been drawn to Eadaion when he first saw her, like a moth to a flame; her spirit was similar to those he had seen on Earth . . . only hers' was much more _peaceful_ , and beautiful. While he had been wandering the streets of the other city, there weren't many (not even close to a handful) who had a spirit like hers'; they saddened him to look at, for they were neglected spirits.

He knew, deep within his spirit, he knew that what had happened to her was the same thing that had happened to him; therefore, he was the only one in Middle Earth who could truly help her. However, she was still a stranger, and the wary, cautious (and somewhat distrustful) side of him made him keep his distance.

He had seen how she did her best to keep her mentality intact throughout her wandering in the wood. On the second day of her wandering, he had left food for her during the night after realizing that she did not have a speck of food on hand.

He did his utmost best to keep his fellow elves _and_ the dangerous creatures of Mirkwood away from the girl until that night when he revealed himself to her after the spider attack. That was when he realized that he had no need to be wary or distrustful of her anymore.


	3. Chapter 3

His Smile

For a time, Eadaion hadn't seen a genuine smile on Tawarthion's face. Sure, there were smirks and small smiles (the kind that Eadaion could barely see, if not at all) here and there, but there was something . . . _off_ about them; it was as if he hadn't either smiled a genuine smile in all his life, or he hadn't smiled in a long, _long_ , time.

It puzzled her, but whenever it came up, she cast it aside after a few moments of thought.

 _One day, I'll see that smile of his. It's bound to happen sooner or later._

That day had come a lot sooner than she'd thought.

The two souls were sitting on Tawarthion's bed, talking to each other about nothing in particular as sunlight filtered in through the windows, setting the room aglow with warm golden light.

Eadaion was in the middle speaking when, with a yelp, she suddenly slid off the bed and hit the floor with a ' _thud_ '. It happened so suddenly that even with Tawarthion's quick reflexes, he could do nothing but lean over the edge and look at her with a mixture of confusion and concern on his face as she lay flat on her back on the floor.

For a moment, all was quiet and the two (now in slight shock) remained motionless. Then a smile lit up Eadaion's face and the girl broke out into a fit of giggles.

Tawarthion just watched as her giggling quickly turned to boughs of laughter, and a smile of his own began to surface.

Her laugh had sparked something within him, something that had been dormant for such a long time that he hadn't noticed its absence. It was a lively laugh, one similar to a child's laugh or to those of his kin during celebrations and feasts when their hearts were merry.

Soon, he too was laughing along with Eadaion.

It took her a moment or two to realize this and once she did it was when their laughter had begun to die down, "Are you alright?" Tawarthion asked, still smiling.

Eadaion did not reply right away; she was somewhat stunned. Not only had she seen his smile, but she had also heard his laugh (something she had only heard in the form of a chuckle and nothing else up until this moment), and both were a wondrous thing to have witnessed. His laugh was the kind that could brighten anyone's day, one that would make you laugh along with him, and his smile was the type that would put a smile on your own face in an instant. Eadaion hadn't seen that much life in him until then.

And it was wonderful. Simply wonderful.

"Yes," Eadaion answered with a grin as she picked herself up, reclaiming her spot on the bed, "I'm alright."

The young girl quickly grew to love that smile of his, thinking it a gift whenever it decided to show up. For a while it had been a rare thing to witness.


	4. Chapter 4

Welcome Back

There was something about his spirit that drew her to him, and she wanted to know what it was. She often prayed about it, for it was a nagging feeling (much like the kind you get when have a project due and you don't realize it until the last minute) which _would not_ go away.

One night, while Eadaion was fast asleep, she found herself back in Middle Earth. This time, however, she had been placed by Tawarthion's home instead of in the middle of Mirkwood (which she had been _very_ grateful for).

Tawarthion stood by Eadaion and watched as the hand of light ascended into the clouds. He then leaned down and said to her in a gentle voice, "Welcome back."

Eadaion blinked a couple of times as her mind caught up with what had happened, "Hello, again." She responded shyly with a little smile, and the large elf helped her up off the ground.

Suddenly, the girl's stomach growled, and a little smirk formed on the corner of Tawarthion's lips "Come inside," he said, "I'll get you some food."

After Eadaion had eaten a good portion of fish, bread, and an apple or two, she let out a short and content sigh as Tawarthion sat down across from her, "So," he began, "when you went back to your world, how long were gone for?"

"An hour. I was actually in the middle of a class when I first came here."

A light chuckle escaped Tawarthion, "Really?"

"Yes. Thankfully, I didn't miss much that morning." Eadaion replied after taking a drink of water. It was at this point that she had come to a loss of what to say, and so had Tawarthion.

They were both a little perplexed as to why Eadaion was back in Middle Earth. There was a reason why, this they both knew for certain; they just didn't know the reason, and the need to know gnawed at them.

The two souls became silent, both in thought, and this silence lasted for a good while until Eadaion spoke up in a soft voice, "Would you, by any chance, know or have any clue as to why I'm here again?"

Tawarthion pursed his lips and took in a deep breath as he leaned back in his chair, "I _did_ know that you'd be back," he answered coolly, "I did not, however, know _when_ you would be back. I'm just as clueless as you are on the reason why."

The girl nodded, "I see." she said, somewhat dejectedly, but then her countenance changed to a more cheerful, "Well, since I'm here, now . . . what can you tell me about Middle Earth?"

"Come with me," Tawarthion said with a small grin as he rose from his seat and lead her up a small staircase on the other side of the room.

The second floor of the house resembled an attic, but with much more light, clean air, and the domed roof made it more spacious for Tawarthion's tall form. Eadaion stopped short in the archway in awe of the room as Tawarthion carried on; there were pieces of artwork and crafts, woodwork, scrolls and books throughout. Intricate fixtures of painted glass and wind chimes hung from the ceiling. The glass had caught some of the sun's light as they gently swayed in the cool breeze and cast wonderful splashes of color around the room and over the two souls in it. Soft tinkling from the wind chimes resounded throughout.

After gazing around the room, Eadaion turned to Tawarthion who had been watching her from the other side, standing in front of a large table, "Did you make all of this?" She asked, referring to the crafts scattered neatly about.

"I did." He answered with a single nod while she makes her way over to him.

"So, you're an artisan?"

Tawarthion lightly shrugged his broad shoulders, "Of sorts."

Eadaion watched as the tall elf cleared the table of quill pens, ink and scrolls and smoothed out a rather large map before them containing two continents resting on the sea, "Now then," he begins in a gentle tone, "all of what you see is 'Arda'."

He then pointed to the mass of land on the right, "This is 'Middle Earth'."

The language on the map was nothing like Eadaion had seen before and she frowned in confusion, "This language . . . what is it?" she questioned before Tawarthion could continue.

"Westron," he answered, "The common tongue."

"Okay, and what is this?" she asked again, pointing to the continent on the left and Tawarthion answered with, "Valinor, the Undying Lands."

From that point, Eadaion kept quiet as Tawarthion went on; he pulled out another map from underneath the map of Arda, and gently smoothed it out on top of the first map, "This is Middle Earth's map. Here," he pointed to a cluster of trees close to a lake and a mountain, "is Mirkwood, formerly known as Eryn Lasgalen; Greenwood the Great."

Even after Tawarthion had finished speaking, Eadaion did not say anything as she scanned the rest of the map. This world was so _vast_ , it was amazing and at the same time, frightening; all of what this world was and its inhabitants were so unknown to her (though she had a bit of an idea from her encounter with the monster spiders and Tawarthion). She looked to the large elf behind her and asked, "Other than elves and monstrous spiders, what else is here? In Middle Earth?"

The elf stole a brief look out the window in thought before he responded, "Well, simply put, other than the Elves there are the Dwarves, Hobbits, and Humans."

Eadaion's face visibly lit up when he mentioned humans, "There are other people here? Where?"

Tawarthion directed the girl back to the map and began to count off the human settlements one after another, ". . .Dale, near the Lonely Mountain, has been lost to Middle Earth. It is but a ruin now; a memory."

"A memory . . . what happened to it?" Eadaion asked.

"A dragon destroyed Dale, along with the Dwarven halls of Erebor-"

"There are _dragons_ here?!" The girl exclaimed in slight panic.

There were dragons in this world; actual, fire-breathing beasts mostly known for destruction and devastation.

Tawarthion took in a deep breath.

This was going to be a _long_ talk.

ஜ۩۞۩ஜ

By the end of the day, the two souls were sprawled out on the floor amongst a pile of scrolls, maps and books. They had covered most of the basics that Tawarthion thought Eadaion should know; such as information on the inhabitants of Middle Earth, including the ugly ones (orcs, goblins, trolls, etc); and they _still_ had a lot to go over. They had stopped because Eadaion had gotten a headache trying to absorb all of the new information and Tawarthion had simply gotten tired of speaking. So Eadaion's request to take a break had been gladly taken.

The two were in a rather peaceful silence; there was something about the other's presence that was calming and oddly _familia_ _r_. Which was strange indeed, since they didn't know a thing about each other; when Tawarthion first met Eadaion, he remembered feeling as if he had known her for his entire life. He couldn't help but wonder if this girl felt the same.

Eadaion gently broke the silence, "Hey, Tawarthion, may I ask you something?"

"If you must." The elf answered facetiously, to which Eadaion lightheartedly rolled her eyes and began, "Alright, well . . ." she trailed off, trying to think of a way to ask her question without sounding odd.

She didn't want to cause an awkward silence but it had already begun to form once her question remained unasked, lingering in the air. Finally, Eadaion just decided to be blunt about it, "I've had a lot of time to think about this and I realize now that . . . ever since I met you, I've had this _feeling;_ a knowing that I have known you for a very long time. I understand if this sounds odd since we don't really know each other, but . . . do you feel the same? Or is it just me?"

Well that answered _his_ question.

"No. It's not just you; I've felt the same, and still do." He answered, "It _is_ strange, but I do believe it is not without reason."

Eadaion let out a low hum in thought and the room fell silent once more. This new silence lasted but a moment for Tawarthion had broken it, "Do you still have that headache?"

She had actually forgotten about her headache but it came back full swing once Tawarthion mentioned it, "I do." she answered, resisting a cringe, for pulling a face would have made her headache worse.

Suddenly her stomach growled rather loudly and at that moment she was glad that Tawarthion had not been facing her, because her face had gone slightly pink from embarrassment. A smirk formed on the elf's lips as he held down a chuckle that threatened to come up.

She hadn't eaten since that morning and during the day there had been telltale signs that she had been getting hungry again but Eadaion had dismissed the need for food in her want to learn more about Middle Earth (even after Tawarthion's insistence).

The large elf rose to his feet and ordered, "Come." He then crosses the room and trots down the stairs with Eadaion trailing behind, and the girl followed him into the kitchen where he quickly rummaged through the cabinets and set down cookware onto the counter. Eadaion took a seat at the table and watched him for a few moments until her curious eyes drift to the warm fire dancing in the fireplace.

Soon, the clatter of cookware faded into background noise as the warmth of the fire lulled her into a light doze, and it was within this half-sleep that she saw a vision of single bright star shining in a sea of black. She had wanted to wait and see if anything else would happen, but Eadaion was abruptly brought out of her doze by the sound of a cup full of steaming liquid being placed before her on the table, and the young girl looked up at Tawarthion who said in a gentle voice, "Drink this first - it will help with your headache - then you can eat."

Eadaion complied with a simple 'okay' and, once he turned his back to her, smelled the contents of the cup which held a strong aroma of mint. Not that she minded; mint was one of her many favorite things. But that did not answer the question of what it was.

"Would I be correct in assuming that this is tea and not some medicinal concoction you whipped up?" She questioned, and any attempts at seriousness she tried to pull were dashed for Tawarthion had immediately caught that glint of amusement in her eyes.

"Mmm, let's just call it a medicinal tea - which is safe to drink." he added when she opened her mouth to speak, "However, do not drink too much in one sitting," he cautioned, "the side effects are unpleasant."

Hearing this made her freeze; her cup was dangerously close to her mouth, "What side effects?" she asked, gingerly setting the cup back down.

As he spoke he began to prepare food for her, and his voice got frighteningly low, "Well . . . first you will get very lethargic. You will begin to slip in and out of consciousness, followed by severe nausea. After that come hallucinations, but this particular medicine brings out the very worst of your fears and thoughts, molding them into a reality you do not want to be a part of."

Then he grew silent, holding back a grin at the look of uncertainty on the girl's face.

Eadaion glanced at the cup, to Tawarthion, then back to the cup, and she gingerly brought the cup to her mouth. Surely, he was joking. If he wanted to poison her, wouldn't he have done that when he gave her food that morning?

She was about to drink but, Tawarthion glanced at her and said, "However, depending on who makes it, it's just tea. Before you ask, it is still safe to drink (it always was) and if you wish, you could gulp it down in one sitting and it will not harm you."

Eadaion blinked and stared blankly at the elf for a few silent moments until she began to drink, eyes boring into him.

"Let it be known that if you _have_ poisoned me, my adolescent ghost will show you no mercy." She warned.

"Then I have nothing to worry about." Tawarthion responded. He took the emoty cup and replaced it with a plate of food.

"Is _this_ safe to eat?"

" _Yes_ , yes, yes."

Eadaion glanced at her food and looked back to Tawarthion as he sat down across from her, arms folded on the table. He stared back at her and Eadaion searched his eyes for any giveaways, but she got nothing.

He was borderline emotionless.

Eadaion sighed through her nose and hesitantly began to eat.

The large elf turned away to the fire roaring in the hearth. Within a matter of minutes, he had gotten so deep in thought that it did not register to him when Eadaion had finished eating. It took a bit of gentle prodding on his forearm and calling out his name a few times for him to come back to reality.

"Are you okay?" Eadaion asked. Tawarthion blinked a couple of times, slightly disoriented from having been startled out of his thoughts. The fire had very nearly dragged him back to the recesses of his mind where painful memories were stored deep, _deep_ , down. Memories he did _not_ want to deal with. It wouldn't have been the first time, but he was grateful that Eadaion was here, for it would have happened again without her interference.

Normally, once the darkness of these memories got a hold of him, that was it; try as hard as he did, there was no fighting it initially as he was dragged to places he wished not to revisit. It either took Divine intervention or the interference of someone else to get him back to earth. The only other recourse would be his spirit willing him back after having too much grief placed upon it all at once. He would often be shaking violently in a cold sweat, on the verge of a panic attack once it was all over.

Tawarthion did not want to deal with that mess again, "I - yes, I'm all right." he answered, looking and sounding as calm as ever.

"Are you sure?"

The elf simply nodded, "Yes."

The two sat in silence once again until Tawarthion stood and took empty plate to wash it and clean up the cookware he had used. He was not hungry; whenever hunger did come about, something chased his appetite away; that morning, it had been Eadaion's arrival, during the afternoon he had become engrossed with teaching her about Middle Earth, and the thought of being trapped with his long-buried memories coupled with panic that had begun to brew in his gut had wiped away his appetite completely.

Eadaion watched him work as she fidgeted in her seat. There was a slight uneasiness in the air and wanting to dissipate it (and wanting to be helpful to her host) she asked, "Do you want help?"

"No, it's all right," Tawarthion answered coolly, "There isn't much to do."

Then, a small grin formed on his lips when the young girl tried to hide a yawn with her hand, "Let me know when you want to sleep, I have sleepwear for you."

"Wha - no, I -" her protest was cut off by another yawn, "I want to keep reading."

"No, no. It won't do you any good trying to absorb more information when you need to rest." Tawarthion countered gently, "Besides, at the rate your yawning right now, you wouldn't get far." He added with a light chuckle.

Eadaion huffed in defeat, "All right."

She rested her head on her folded arms over the table and in waiting for Tawarthion to finish cleaning, she dozed off. She probably would not have made it through a single paragraph had she gotten her way in resuming their reading. Once Tawarthion finished his cleaning, he gently prodded the girl awake.

The elf lead her to his room, pulled away the curtain for her to enter first, and sauntered over to a decorative chest resting against the wall. Crouched in front of it, he rummaged through clothing until he found the nightgown he was looking for, "Here," he said, taking a few steps towards Eadaion, "This is yours, now."

Eadaion received the garment with thanks and went in to change behind a screen in the corner while Tawarthion left to give her privacy. The young lady looked over the garment; it was cool to the touch, smelled faintly of flowers and looked like it hadn't been worn by anyone. She took in a breath and proceeded to change into the garment with slight difficulty, for the lighting in the room wasn't as bright as a modern bedroom would have been and she had almost gotten her head stuck in one of the sleeves, twice. The silkiness of the nightgown felt very nice on her skin, and at that moment she wanted nothing more than to curl up into a ball and sleep.

Bunching up her clothes into her arms she walked out and, after getting caught in the curtain, found Tawarthion leaned up against the frame of the archway.

"Ehm, what do I do with my clothes?"

Tawarthion took the tunic and tights from her, "I'll take care of them; you go rest. I'll be here when you awake."

Eadaion nodded as she fought off another yawn. Then she remembered sleeping arrangements; Tawarthion had offered her his bed before, but he had been away for most of the week. If their sleeping arrangements were to be the same this time around, and with him staying for the whole night, where would _he_ sleep?

"What about sleeping arrangements?" she asked, sleepily.

"You will sleep in my bed."

"But, where will _you_ sleep?"

"I will rest on the sofa," he answered, and before she could protest it, he ushered her to bed, assuring that he'd be just fine on the sofa. The girl fell asleep within a matter of minutes once she hit the unbelievably soft blanket.

That night, as the girl slept, the only thing she dreamt of was single shining star, and nothing else. It was rather peculiar, something she would end up thinking about later on, invading her thoughts so randomly whenever she tried to focus on schoolwork and other tasks.

The next morning, after collecting herself from the drowsiness of sleep, she practically leaped from the bed and burst out from behind the curtain, running into the living area where Tawarthion was. He had been reading a book of poems when she came running up to him, dark curls flying behind her.

"Can we go back to reading now?" She asked with a childish smile. What she had learned of Middle-Earth so far was fascinating and so _different_ from her world, she wanted to learn more. She had become hungry again, but surely eating could wait, right?

Tawarthion closed the book and set it aside on a stand next to the couch, "Do you not want to eat first? Or perhaps change out of your sleepwear?"

"Okay, but. . . where are my clothes?"

Tawarthion stood and walked to his room, Eadaion right behind him, and gestured to the chest where he had fished the nightgown from, "Your clothes are in that chest."

She looked to the large elf in confusion and quickly opened the chest. The clothes she bore the day before were not there, but there was a blue tunic and a couple of dresses neatly folded and stacked. They did not smell old or musty at all; they held the same flowery smell as the nightgown. Eadaion looked over her shoulder at Tawarthion, "These are mine?"

"Yes."  
". . . So, would I be correct in saying that you bought these for me? Or perhaps made them?"

"I bought them," he answered with a nod.

He then left to both give her privacy and to make breakfast in his waiting. Eadaion stood still in her crouched position in front of the chest. He had gone through the trouble of buying clothes for her? Why? She was an absolute stranger!

Despite this, she couldn't help the crooked smile of appreciation that formed on the corner of her lips as a warm feeling invaded her chest. Eadaion quickly changed into a nice green dress and hurried out of the room. She lightly stumbled over the corner of an elaborate rug in her haste, which she brushed off with a goofy grin and sat down at the table. Tawarthion had looked over his shoulder at the sound of her stumble and swallowed down a chuckle, but she could easily see the amusement in his eyes this time.

After their breakfast (and after thanking him for the clothes), they went through another learning session. For three days, Eadaion practically absorbed this new information like a sponge. However, when it came to the many languages of Middle-Earth, that was when she had trouble, but Tawarthion did his best to help her. Since her visits were sure to become more frequent, it would be best if she knew at least a little bit of Westron.

Once she was brought back to Earth, she opened her eyes and slowly sat up in her bed. Moonlight shone in through the bedside window, giving her room a rather peaceful glow. Eadaion remained awake for a couple of hours, mentally going over what she had learned of Middle-Earth, before sleep overcame her. As she slept her spirit was stirred within her and a voice roused her from her slumber; it was authoritative and firm but full of love all the same, "Eadaion. Eadaion."

"I am here, Father." Eadaion answered.

"What do you see, daughter of man?"

Before her was a scroll with writing on it; it was Westron. And she could read it!

"Westron; I can read it!" she exclaimed in absolute glee.

"What does it say, daughter of man?"

"'He is good. Take care of him'."

Then the scroll was taken away from her, and a bright star was shown to her, "What do you see, daughter of man?"

"I see a star, Father."

The voice resounded within and around her, "The star is good, daughter of man. Take good care of it."

ஜ۩۞۩ஜ

 **Tawarthion - (Tah-wahr-thee-on) meaning 'woods'.**

 **Eadaion - ('ee-dee-uhn' or 'ee-day-uhn') meaning 'joyous friend'.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N – First off, I would like to thank Celridel and CodenameAgentC for reviewing! They made me very happy ^-^. I would also like to those who have favorited and are following this story :D**

 **To answer your question CodenameAgentC (I cannot reply to guest reviews as I can with members), Eadaion and Tawarthion are both OCs.**

 **CodenameAgentC has kindly pointed out that some of my past and present tenses are mixed up, lol. I laughed when I read that because it's true; strangely, I tend to waffle back and forth between past and present tense, but I will do my best to get that under control ^^'**

 **This little shot here is just a small glimpse into Tawarthion's past (in the second age, before the events of The Hobbit) and it also serves as an introduction of a later character.**

 **I will provide a timeline for this story in the future so ya'll aren't too confused :)**

* * *

Little Alassë

The Little Elfling was petrified. With her head tucked into her knees and her arms over her head, the sound of weaponry and shrieking spiders resounded throughout the area. Her adrenaline was wearing thin and the scratches and scrapes she had acquired during her escape began to sting.

While she hid amongst the roots of a large oak, she whimpered into her knees, waiting for this nightmare to be over. She didn't think that a forest could be _this_ scary! The elfling wasn't entirely sure on when the chaos ended, but all was suddenly silent, aside from the soft chatter of the warriors who came to her rescue.

She whimpered again once she heard footsteps coming her way, and she tightly shut her eyes, waiting for her apparent doom as she pressed herself deeper into her hiding place.

"Hey," a deep voice says in the quiet. The elfling snapped her head up and her precious green eyes widened; the elf before her was huge! He was bigger than ada!

The warrior before her tried speaking to her again in a much softer tone once he saw her fear, "Be at peace now, youngling. You're all right."

His voice was soothing and chased away the lingering fear within her. The small elf hesitantly crawled towards the warrior, who helped her out of her hiding spot once she was close enough. She tightened her grip on his clothes as she was hoisted up.

"Are you hurt?" he asked as he looked over her scrapes and scratches. There were a couple of bruises here and there, but fortunately there wasn't anything life threatening.

"No, not really." She answered in a tiny voice. She then rested her head on his broad shoulder, watching the other warriors about them as one of the younger males spoke with the one who carried her; some had sheathed their weapons. Others continued to search the area for any lingering spiders.

"Take however many soldiers seems best to you and scout the area as well as the border; the rest will come with me." She heard the larger elf say and the younger male responded with a curt 'yes sir' and left to do what was instructed.

The elfling looked to the warrior again and he said to her, "Alright, little one, let's get you taken care of." His baritone voice (as smooth as silk) continues to comfort her as she rests her head back on his shoulder. Once the soldiers separated into two groups, one going towards the border and the other to the halls of the Elvenking, the child let out an exhausted sigh through her nose.

She felt drained after all of that fear and adrenaline, and she wanted nothing more than to sleep for a few hundred years. With that, the elfling nodded off into a light doze.

ஜ۩۞۩ஜ

 _BANG!_

The elfling was startled awake by the closing doors of the Elvenking's halls. The happenings about them were a blur as she tried overcome her drowsiness; soldiers were going this way and that, there were so many elves asking of what happened and who this elfling was that the captain carried.

At least, it _looked_ like there were many; there were only a few who questioned her appearance, but her tired eyes had made her vision blurry and concocted duplicates of the inquiring elves.

One moment she was surrounded by the stone pillars of the hall, the next she was sitting on a very soft bed in the healer's ward, all cleaned up and getting the less significant wounds tended to.

The bed was so comfortable, she had nearly fallen asleep sitting up, and noticing this, a soft yet rather large hand held her steady, "Stay awake, little one." Her eyes fluttered open at the sound of the captain's voice. It was familiar, therefore comforting to her frazzled spirit that had been through so much fear up until this point.

"What is your name, young elleth?" he asked in a soft tone once she was more alert.

"Alassë," she answered, looking up at him, and the young one tilted her head inquisitively, "What is your name?"

"I am called Tawarthion." He answered.

A tired smile formed on the child's face, "It is good to meet you, Tawarthion."

He dipped his head in greeting to the elfling as the last of her wounds were mended. She looked up at the healer on the other side of her, who gave her a warm smile, "Do you feel better now, youngling?" she asked the elfling in a soft tone.

Little Alassë nodded, her shiny, pale golden hair bobbing with the movement, "I do. Thank you."

The healer nodded and asked, "Are you hungry at all?" to which the young elf responded with a simple shake of her head. The elleth then dismissed herself, remarking that she'd be back to check on Alassë soon. In the silence that followed the healer's leave, the young elf looked to the much larger elf sitting beside her. Of course, being as small as she was and with Tawarthion being as tall as he was, she had to incline her neck to look him in the face.

Her inquisitive green eyes peered into his strangely emotionless golden-brown eyes. Almost immediately she felt an intense wave of power radiate from the elf, but what made her shiver ever so slightly was the strange mixture of emotions coming from his spirit; they were jumbled and intermingled so greatly, she couldn't place a single emotion. In her mind, emotions weren't supposed to be combined in such a disorderly state. But when he spoke, there was so much care behind his voice that it chased away any fear he might have unintentionally instilled. His spirit was damaged, but not gone; this she could see very clearly.

"Alassë," The captain began, "From where do you hail?"

 _"_ Lothlórien _,"_ she answered.

 _"_ Lothlórien?" He echoed, "How did you wind up in the forests of Mirkwood?"

The little elf was quiet for a few silent moments of thought, and a frown settled on her face, ". . . I do not know."

All she knew at that moment was that she wanted to go home, where the air was cleaner and there were no monstrous spiders trying to eat you. The thought of home was enough to make tears well up in her eyes, but she was determined to not let them be seen.

"We will get you home, Alassë," Tawarthion reassures, sensing her coming sadness. His tone was ever gentle, but his face remained stoic, "Until then, you are quite safe here."

Tawarthion stayed with Alassë until her eyes fluttered close as she drifted off into sleep, and that was when the warrior took his leave for the night.

ஜ۩۞۩ஜ

"What?!" Tawarthion jolted up from his bow, looking the Elvenking straight in the eye who in turn, held his gaze with a ghost of a smile on his face. Under any other circumstances, the captain of the king's guard would have remained respectful and kept his tact when dealing with the Elvenking of Mirkwood. But the task he had been given had shoved any sense of decency and respect out the window, if only momentarily.

"Aye," the king replied, his voice resonated throughout the room, making no note of his guard's tone of voice for he was used to his temper; it never lasted long when dealing with the king, "The child has grown fond of you, Tawarthion. Around anyone else other than you or I, she is not comfortable. Within this realm, you are the most familiar to her; it is best to leave her in your care."

Alassë had been in the Mirkwood halls for no more than a few days, and she almost immediately took a liking to the Elvenking when she first met him; he was not as cold as others made him out to be. In fact, he was very kind and gentle to the little elf and his smile was very infectious to her. But because he was always busy the elfling stuck to Tawarthion. However, the warrior could only blame himself: he had a soft spot for children and, despite the discomfort he felt when Alassë wanted to play instead of talk, he had visited her periodically throughout her healing.

But he didn't think he'd become the child's caretaker. He was already awkward when it came to children, how was he going to take care of her?

Tawarthion's jaw clenched as he took in deep breaths through his nose. The king, dressed in the colors of the forest, stood before him beside his intricately carved throne, his golden hair shining in the candlelight from above and around them. His crown of leaves sat upon his golden head.

 _Calm yourself, filth. Do not disrespect the very elf that has favored you._

". . . With all due respect, my lord, I am a warrior. Not a sitter. . ." Tawarthion managed, his deep voice level, yet slightly trembling with compressed irritation.

The Elvenking's smile was not so ghostly at this point, "Then this is a good opportunity for you to rehash your sitting skills."

The king would have laughed at the look in Tawarthion's eyes had he let himself. He did not understand what was so bad about looking after the child; she wasn't even toddler! How bad could it be?

The captain of his guard stayed rooted to the floor glaring into the king's soul. Was he serious? The last time he had looked after a child was centuries ago! He had not been the same elf as he was then.

When Tawarthion said nothing, the Elvenking carried on, "Legandir will assume your duties as captain until further notice. For now, your task is to make sure that Alassë is safe and taken care of."

The Elvenking said nothing more. His decision was final.

As much as he wanted to argue, to persuade the king to find someone else more suited for taking care of the elfling, Tawarthion wisely kept his mouth shut. He let out a curt sigh and said in a much gentler tone than before, "Yes, my lord."

Once he was dismissed, the large elf headed to the healing ward where the little elfing had been, sitting on her bed and playing with a toy horse. Tawarthion lingered in the doorway, hesitant with what he was doing. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't nervous. But he had to do what was expected of him, and that was to care for the elfling until they got her home.

He took in a calming breath and made himself known to the child, who's face instantly lit up upon his entering, "Tawarthion!" she cried, gleefully, and Alassë leaped from the bed and attached herself to his leg.

"Good day to you, Alassë." Tawarthion greets, resisting the urge to back away from her grip. Not that it would be possible, for she held onto him like a lifeline, ". . . Are you well?"

"Yep!"

"That is good to hear." Tawarthion crouched down so that he was almost at eye level with her, "From now on, until we get you home, you are in my care and I need you to be well."

Alassë had figured out very quickly that Tawarthion was not one to play; he was not unwilling to play with her or ever annoyed with the notion; it simply wasn't his thing. He was awkward at it. And to be honest, it was much more amusing to watch him try. However, whenever she wanted to be entertained, he would tell her stories and keep an eye on her when she played with other elflings.

Tawarthion was silent almost all of the time, and mostly spoke when he was spoken to, or warning her to be careful while outside. Every now and then he would ask her a question or two on where she lived and what her home was like. He took in every detail, every word that came from the child's mouth as she spoke with a big grin on her face. When she spoke, he truly listened. Adults (aside from her parents) usually did not take her very seriously or even half-listen when she spoke of things that were important to her, but Tawarthion gave her his full attention every time.

He may not have been very vocal or jovial like most of the Mirkwood elves. To some, he was standoffish and distant, as if he cared for none but himself, but that is not what Alassë had seen. Despite his distance, he was kind, gentle, understanding. He offered her help when she needed it, whether it be climbing trees or making silly crafts. He comforted her when thoughts of home made her downcast. When she needed _him_ , he was there.

To be truthful, Alassë had grown on Tawarthion throughout his time of caring for her. She was so full of life and inquisitive, asking questions about this and that. In his heavy world of monotony and melancholy, the elfling was a joy to have around. The weight of his inner turmoil had lifted some, during that time.

The time of her returning home had been bittersweet for the both of them. Tawarthion had greatly doubted his ability to care for Alassë, even after doing the best he could, but the child had eased said doubt when she said, "I'm glad He chose you to care for me instead of someone else."

"He?" Tawarthion questioned.

"Yes." She answered, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Did he not know who Eru is?

She had told him, then, that she would miss him very much.

Alassë hugged him one last time, and Tawarthion watched as the elfling left with her father and a band of Lothlórien soldiers. It wasn't long until Tawarthion went back to being his stoic, silent self.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N - Hello, all! I apologize if this chapter is a bit lacking considering that I haven't updated this story since December ^^' school and other things have been keeping me busy.**

 **CodenameAgentC: Awe, you're very welcome! I thank you again for reviewing ^-^ and I'm glad you like Alasse! I think you'll see more of her. Maybe not as a small child, but it'll still be Alasse :) I also thank you for your support and input, it means a great deal :)**

 **Biggest fan: Thank you so much for the kind review, it made me smile (a lot, lol) I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far :D**

 **As for the timeline I promised, it's not a full timeline, but I think it'd be easier if I let you all know when a certain chapter takes place. For example, this chapter is during the remaining years of the 400 year peace in the Second Age. If this isn't enough, just let me know and I'll see what I can do :D  
**

* * *

Acquiring of New Knowledge (Part 1)

Eadaion sat and watched Tawarthion, eyes fixed on his fast moving hand as he scribbled on the parchment before him. How on earth was he able to draw so fast? She was absolutely mesmerized, unintentionally leaning forward to get a better look, only briefly glancing at the elf as he worked.

Tawarthion took slow, even breaths as he scribbled down the final touches.

Once he finished, he whipped the parchment around and Eadaion flinched back with a gentle yelp at what he had drawn.

" _This_ is an orc." he said

Eadaion scrunched up her nose in disgust.

Thanks to Tawarthion, she knew enough of the land's history (they didn't dare dive into the many genealogies and important people) to know of how orcs, goblins, trolls and other creatures of that ilk had come to be.

The elf had given her very detailed descriptions of such creatures; how they looked, how they sounded, their behavior. It had been Tawarthion's idea to go more in depth on these nasty creatures (especially the orcs), for the odds of her coming across one of them were greater than any chance of her meeting a hobbit, a dwarf, or even another elf.

The times of peace were dwindling and the appearances of orcs were gradually growing. He simply wanted her to be prepared, while at the same time, hoping that she'd never have to see one in person.

He set the drawing aside and held up another, "This is an Uruk."

"It looks like an Orc. Are they the same?"

"No; Uruks are much larger, stronger, and more deadly."

Eadaion lightly chewed her lip in thought, "Are these roaming around Middle Earth, causing havoc where ever they go?"

"Yes, actually."

"Hoo-boy," The girl exhaled and rested her chin on her palm, "Alright, then. Is there more?"

"Well, there are vampires, werewolves, and the Barrow-wights, but you need not worry too much about either of them."

"Werewolves and vampires, I know of, but what is a Barrow-wight?"

"Do you remember the Witch-king of Angmar?" Tawarthion questioned.

"Yes."

The elf stood, took a map from the desk behind him, and sat back down across from Eadaion. He directed her to the Barrow-downs, near the Shire, "The Barrow downs were first inhabited by Men in the First Age. Over many decades, it had become part of Arnor. However, soon after Anor's breaking, the realm fell and was left empty. The Witch-king of Angmar sent evil spirits to haunt the tombs of the ancient sleepers, to keep his enemies from returning. The bodies of the ancients now harbor those spirits; now known as Barrow-wights. "

" _Oh-kay_ , I'd like a break. Do you want a break? I want a break." She said as she laid herself onto the plush rug beneath them.

Aside from the Orcs and Uruks, the terrible things in Middle-Earth simply reminded her of the monsters and ugly beasts she'd read about in stories, folklore, and seen in movies. However, the Barrow Wights shook her; the living dead and evil spirits were topics she dared not touch. The very thought of a ghost was enough to send a chill down her spine, but a Barrow Wight - that was a new category of 'living dead'. One that she hoped she would never encounter.

A corner of the elf's lips twitched upwards just a little bit, "I know it is a lot to take in," he said, "If it's of any consolation, the most I've seen are the orcs, the spiders, and the trolls."

The girl let out another sigh, "Yeah, that helps a little bit."

"Do you want anything to eat? You haven't eaten since this morning." the elf asked after a moment's silence. It was well past noon.

"No."

"Nothing at all?"

"No - not yet, anyway."

"You want to sit in silence, then? Recollect your thoughts?"

"If that's okay."

Tawarthion let her collect herself as they sat in a peaceful silence. He knew this topic wouldn't have been an easy for her, and he gave her however much time she needed to cope with this new knowledge.

However, he noticed that she was fighting a certain anxiety that was trying to surface; it dared not show itself on her face, but he saw it in her eyes.

"I'll be back." he said as he rose to his feet, trotted down the steps and into the kitchen.

Eadaion watched him go and stretched herself out onto her back like a starfish, staring at the ceiling. In the silence, she heard the elf downstairs rummaging through cabinets.

There was so much more to this new world of Middle-Earth, more than what she had been expecting. In all honesty, it was overwhelming; werewolves, vampires, trolls, wargs, orcs, barrow- wights, _dragon_ s.

 _The monstrous spiders._

ஜ۩۞۩ஜ

Tawarthion strode back up the steps on careful feet with a half full cup of tea in hand, only to stop in the archway when he saw the girl rolling about on the rug.

For a moment, he stood and watched in confusion and slight amusement until Eadaion came to a stop and let out a muffled groan into the rug.

"What . . . are you doing?" He questioned.

Eadaion let out a huff as the elf walked to her, "Sorry - just trying to cope with this new reality."

"And rolling on the floor helps?"

". . . I didn't realize I was doing it until you said something. And no, rolling on the floor does not help."

Tawarthion sat down across from Eadaion while she heaved herself up into a sit. Her hair was disheveled from her rolling.

"Here," he said as he held out the cup, "this should calm you a bit."

Eadaion took the cup from him and began to drink.

"Small sips this time," The elf instructed while picking up the drawings from the floor, "You'll become jittery if you drink too much in one sitting - no, it will not kill you." he added when she had opened her mouth to speak.

Eadaion smiled and took a smaller drink of the warm tea. It smelled like the sweetest of flowers and tasted of honey; it had become somewhat difficult to keep her drinking limited to small sips. She let out a sigh as her slightly overwhelming anxiety gradually melted and she found that she could breathe easier.

Tawarthion glanced up at the girl every now and then as he mulled over anything else she may have needed to know of Middle Earth. For a time, he did not make conversation with her; he wanted to give her a little more peace while her spirit calmed.

"Do you feel better, now?" Tawarthion asked once she stretched out her arms, finally feeling more content and less stressed.

"Yes. Thank you for the tea, it really helped."

"Tis no trouble. Do you want to continue?"

"Yeah," Eadaion's answer had been slightly hesitant, "what else is there?"

"Well, I believe we've covered enough of what you _need_ to know. So, what would you _like_ to know?"

Before he knew it, the two were sitting among a stack of books and more than a few scrolls. At her request, they dove a little deeper into the history of men; their accomplishments, their settlements (ancient and present), their battles.

She'd pop a question or two here and there as he spoke, and she would listen with a smile of wonder.

As late noon turned to evening and Eadaion's stomach protested for food (which she completely ignored), Eadaion's interest gradually shifted to Dwarves, then to Hobbits, and lastly to the Elves. They stopped in the wee hours of the night when Eadaion had grown too tired to listen; she didn't even eat that evening either, for she could only focus on sleep.

ஜ۩۞۩ஜ

"Tawarthion."

"Yes?"

"Are you a Silvan elf?" Eadaion asked as she lay beneath the blanket of the elf's bed. Tawarthion was seated by the edge.

"Predominantly, yes." He answered, albeit a bit hesitantly.

"So there's something more?"

"Yes-"

"What is it?"

Tawarthion was somewhat taken aback. The girl was too tired to eat, yet her mind was somehow still active enough to carry out a conversation. However, by the sound of her tired voice, sleep was less than a hairbreadth away.

"Well, what do you remember of the elven races?"

The girl blinked her tired eyes in thought, "Uhm . . . there are Silvan elves (or wood-elves, as you called them). Also, Sindarin and . . . Noldorin?"

Tawarthion gave a curt nod of approval and answered her question of his lineage as briefly as he could; other than his Silvan blood there was Sindarin, as well as Noldorin coursing through him.

With her question answered, Eadaion fell into a peaceful sleep no less than a minute later.

Tawarthion quietly made his exit, grateful that they didn't dive too deep into is bloodline.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N - Hello, again! I apologize if this chapter is a bit rushed as well, and I may go back and edit this later, but . . yes ^^'. School is really keeping me on my toes, so updates will be a bit slow.**

 **Legolasle - Thank you so much for the kind review! And no, he is not related to Glorfindel :)**

 **CodenameAgentC - Wow, I'm glad to see that you're still enjoying the story! Well, the thought of a Barrow-Wight was too much for Eadaion, lol, regardless of location - this is the same girl who gets spooked by the mere thought of a ghost :D**

 **Celridel - Thank you, Celridel!**

 **We'll get into Tawarthion's past soon, I promise :D perhaps after the next chapter.**

* * *

Acquiring New Knowledge (Part 2)

"Eadaion." Tawarthion called to her from across the room.

The girl had been staring blankly at the bookcase with a faraway look in her eyes. A look that did not fit her usually bright and smiling demeanor; in the short time that he had known her, that was all he had seen of her character, aside from the few appearances of anxiety and fear every now and then.

What was she thinking of? Was it serious?

Eadaion snapped out of her daze and turned to the elf who stood in the archway of the upper room, watching her with slight concern. Of course, his face did not show this; it was stoic as ever

"Are you well?" He asked, walking further in.

She smiled then, "Yes, I was just thinking."

"Is it serious?"

"No. Just simple pondering, I suppose."

Tawarthion nodded, somewhat satisfied with her answer.

It was close to late morning. He didn't think she'd be up until at least noon, or even a bit after, since she'd gone to sleep so late in the night after yet another round of studying Middle-Earth. He was surprised to find her missing from his room (his bed neatly made) when he had come back in from scouting the borders nearby.

"If you don't mind me asking," he began after a passing silence, "what were you thinking of?"

"Many things, really," she answered as she absentmindedly smoothed out her dress, "Middle-Earth and those that inhabit it. The good, the bad . . . I know what I've learned so far is minuscule, but it's still . . . overwhelming. And there's still so much I don't know."

Tawarthion took a seat in the armchair next to the bookcase. He knew what she was feeling. It was the same thing he felt during his first visit to Earth - first was awe, then confusion, then hopelessness, then intense recurring waves of fear, interest, and fascination.

So much so that despite the negative feelings he felt, he had wanted to learn all that he could of Earth. It had been new, exciting, and frightful all the same.

Briefly, he wondered when he'd be gifted with the opportunity to see it once more.

He looked up at her and spoke with gentleness and understanding, "I know being in another world (and the fact that other worlds exist beyond your own) is both frightening and exhausting; you are an utter stranger and know not a soul, nor of what inhabits the new world, good or bad. But you have me here - and I will help you in whatever way I can."

Eadaion said not a word, for she what he had said shocked her. Ever since their first meeting, she felt like the biggest burden to ever exist. She understood the fact of _needing_ to help her since he was the only soul in Middle-Earth who could, but _wanting_ to help?

 _That_ she did not understand, but she was grateful for it all the same. The thought of another soul caring for her own, other than her parents, left a warm feeling deep in her chest; a feeling she hadn't felt in a long time.

When the girl spoke up, her tone was softer and sounded somewhat fragile, "Thank-you, Tawarthion."

The elf gave her a curt nod and another one of his little smiles (one she could actually see), "One step at a time, yes?"

He then noticed a couple of books lying open on the desk. Had she been reading those?

" . . . Were you reading those books?" he questioned.

"Uh, more like skimming, but yes."

"They are in Westron . . . how could you read them?"

Suddenly, Eadaion's face lit up - she had momentarily forgotten about that gift - and she excitedly demonstrated to him that she, indeed, could speak and read Westron; it had become as natural to her as speaking English.

ஜ۩۞۩ஜ

Tawarthion took in deep breaths as he rested against the trunk of a particularly large oak. Dappled sunlight danced upon and around him, a cool breeze caressed his face. His eyes were closed.

His sudden arrival had been a pleasant surprise, for both him and Eadaion.

As soon as Tawarthion was conscious of his new surroundings upon his arrival, he had felt the absolute need to wait. So, there he sat beneath the oak's magnificent branches until Eadaion had come running up to him.

The elf let out a content sigh through his nose and he opened his eyes to see the girl practically bounding up the hill to meet him. However, her trek had left her breathless and she wasn't able to speak for a good minute.

The elf waited with an amused smirk on his face as she caught her breath.

"Whew - okay, I'm good," Eadaion said with a smile as she swept a stray curl out of her face, "Well, welcome back to Earth!"

Tawarthion chuckled lightly, "Thank you - it is good to be back."

Eadaion had so many questions for him, but Tawarthion had risen to his feet before she could open her mouth to speak, and he held out a hand to her, "I want to show you something." he said. Her questions had to wait for another time.

The elf led her across the field of tall dancing grass and to the edge of the forest where a small house rested among the trees.

Eadaion stopped short when she noticed the similarities this house had to Tawarthion's home in Middle-Earth, " _Wa-a-it_ a minute . . ."

"Yes, young Eadaion, this is my house." Tawarthion said with a small grin as he stepped inside. He watched her twitter about outside, marveling at the house, until she finally made her way in, "Even your garden is the same - _what_!"

Tawarthion had to swallow down a chuckle as she excitedly surveyed the inside; every room, every window, the furniture placement; all was the same.

The elf stood near the steps as Eadaion came bounding down from the upper room, "Even your study is the same!"

"Why does this fascinate you so?"

"I don't know!" Eadaion's hands flew to her hair, pushing the dark curls back, "I - Tawarthion, this kind of thing doesn't happen to everyday people! First, I'm taken to another world and I meet _you,_ Tawarthion - an actual elf! And then _this_ -" she gestured wildly to the house, "I don't know what's going on, but it's so . . . amazing and frightening and . . . confusing."

She looked as if she were caught between a state of wonder and confusion. A rather peculiar smile graced her lips as she spoke, "I don't even know what to call this - what would you call it?"

Tawarthion did not reply right away for he was taken aback by the girl's puzzling, wondrous countenance. That powerful mess of emotions had sprung from her and took hold of his spirit, grounding a feeling of hope that this travelling back and forth between worlds wasn't without purpose.

It was a strange yet not unwelcome thing to witness such a mixture of emotions on her face. Her excitement, that precious look of awe upon seeing the house for the first time – all wondrous. And for the briefest of moments his heart was joyous, seeing that smile on Eadaion's face.

"The strangest set of events to ever occur in my life." Tawarthion responded as soon as he found his breath.

A laugh escaped the girl before him, "I like that - let's go with that."

ஜ۩۞۩ஜ

While Tawarthion's knowledge of Earth was extensive, he indeed did not know everything. Earth was much more diverse and larger than Arda and though the girl before him did not know everything either, the elf was impressed by Eadaion's knowledge of the many peoples and cultures of Earth.

What fascinated him most was Earth's broad and long history, and the more he learned the more he marveled at the accomplishments the Race of Men were able to achieve in such short centuries.

It made him question why many of his kin didn't show the same vigor. Give them a good century of peace and very little would change, give or take a few adventurous souls who would dare branch out. Give the same length of time to Man and the world witnesses new kingdoms, new inventions, new things to help better the lives of their people.

Then again, many of his kind were not very friendly to change (including himself to some degree). And of course, given their longevity, perhaps there was no real need to rush, yet . . . surely an entire century should not pass without seeing _some_ form of change, preferably a good one.

As the elf attained more knowledge of Earth during the following week, he became more appreciative of the Race of Men. Not that he ever held any malice towards them; in fact, his fathers encouraged said fondness for their younger kin. It was a fondness that simply grew deeper within his heart.

And yet, many of his kin treated the race Men as if they were the very dirt beneath their feet.

He shook his head in disappointment at the thought.

Eadaion glanced up at him from a rather large history book, "What is it?"

The elf had gotten lost in his thoughts and completely missed what she had read to him.

"Nothing." he curtly assured, "It's nothing. I'm sorry, please continue."

However, in the middle of her reading about the second World War, he had gotten lost once more; he knew then that compared to Earth, Arda was a very young world, for its history (as extensive as it was) did not compare to that of Earth's. It led him to wonder of Earth's creation - he knew of how Arda had come about, but what of Earth? Did Eadaion know?

Earth was unmistakably different from Arda; not just in history and of those who dwelt in it, but even the very makeup of Earth was distinct - the trees, the grass, the stars, the atmosphere.

Immediately his attention is back to Eadaion's soft voice as she read to him, leaving an unasked question to linger in his mind - what made Earth so wonderfully unalike?


	8. Chapter 8

**Sheesh, I haven't updated this story since May, I'm sorry DX School was rough, but I'm finally free (for now . . .)! Anyway, this took a bit of time to write since getting ideas into words has been ridiculously difficult as of late, and I was very conflicted with the material of this and I've been revising _Elda and Atani_ simultaneously.  
**

 **Happy Reading! :D**

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Acquiring New Knowledge (Part 3)

Before meeting Eadaion, Tawarthion had spent a lot of his time in books and wandering about the city - he didn't dare touch a computer or anything of the sort, though they were fascinating to look at and watch others use. But Tawarthion had been too wary of others for his own good and kept to himself rather than ask how to use a computer.

That had changed when he met young Eadaion. On a rather warm Saturday afternoon, Eadaion had made it her mission to teach her new friend how to use a computer. He did quite well, apart from clicking too many icons at once and slowing down the computer when they first started.

However, the moment they opened up a new browser, that wonderful Saturday afternoon turned sour - that was when he encountered his first jump-scare. Needless to say, in a quiet library, it startled both of them and caused quite a scene. Eadaion's frightened yelp turned to one of surprise when Tawarthion had leaped to his feet with his chair above his head, ready to smash the computer to unrecognizable pieces.

Eadaion stopped him before he could cause any damage to the computer (and to her father's wallet).

Shortly after coaxing him to lower the chair while ignoring the looks of shock and amusement from their small surrounding audience, a profusely apologizing worker rushed over to help with the computer.

" _What was that_?" Tawarthion questioned Eadion as he took deep breaths to calm himself - remind himself that he was in a _library_ , not a battlefield.

"It's called a jump-scare," Eadaion explained, annoyed with the lingering sting of fright. "People use these to scare the living daylights out of their friends - unsuspecting victims, rather."

". . . _Why_?"

"It amuses them," the worker cut in once her work was done. "Unfortunately, those same people set up jump-scare traps on our computers; they've been going off all day." As she said this, another trap went off on the other side of the room, followed by frightened yelps and screams of the unlucky group.

The woman quickly excused herself and rushed to help the poor victims, while their small audience went back to whatever it was they were doing.

Eadaion turned to her tall friend who's knuckles had turned white, for he had been gripping the back of the chair after setting it down. His demeanor had changed from a curious calm to that of a frightened animal - ready to lash at whoever got too close. He was warily staring at the monitor.

"Tawarthion?" She whispered, remembering that they were still in a library.

He flinched a little bit and looked at the girl beside him. Though the fire in his golden gaze had dimmed, he was still somewhat intimidating to look at. A small shiver went down Eadaion's spine, but she kept herself collected, "Are you okay?"

Tawarthion was silent for a good minute before he released his hold from the chair and let out a curt sigh, "I'm alright."

He sat back down into his chair/weapon and, after casting another wary glance at the monitor, squared his shoulders and opened up a new browser. Things went pretty normally after that, and with Eadaion as a guide, Tawarthion had soon become enthralled with this new thing called the 'internet'.

"What is this little window - should I click on it?"

"That's a false advertisement - remember, don't click those."

That afternoon soon turned to early evening and the two souls had to leave the library and the internet behind for the day. Tawarthion was a little disappointed, but he listened intently and with new intrigue as Eadaion talked about the internet some more - mainly of how it came about and what he should be cautious of next time he used it. Suddenly, Tawarthion stopped in front of a pastel colored shop with large windows. The sweet scent of waffle cones wafted to him as people entered the building with smiles and left with colorful cups and bowls full of glistening ice cream.

Posters advertising the shop's wares almost littered the windows, and the biggest one had caught Tawarthion's attention. Not noticing her friend's absence at first, Eadaion had kept walking and was past shop's doors until she realized that his giant shadow was missing.

She couldn't help but smile as she walked back to his side and looked up at the poster that took his focus.

"Have you had ice cream before?" she asked him as he looked in through the window.

"No, but I've read about it," A laughing group of friends walked out of the shop, ice cream in hand, "Is it good?"

Eadaion smiled and before he knew it, Tawarthion was led inside. The cold was an immediate shock from the warmth outside, but the sweet scent of the shop heightened his interest and the change in temperature was quickly forgotten. The white marble floor was sticky in many places, but the pastel blue walls and the smiling and laughing people created a rather light and friendly atmosphere.

The two received quite a few looks of intrigue when they entered. Of course, said looks were expected; in walks a young girl with a man who could easily classify as a small giant, who looked no older than twenty-five and quite possibly had the silkiest hair they had ever seen in their lives. They were certainly not related (not by blood at least) which sparked some suspicions that were not voiced. At the same time, others found their stark differences in height to be rather amusing.

Tawarthion was quickly overwhelmed and in awe by the many flavors and flavor combinations; when Eadaion offered to order for him, he had no objections. A small cup of vanilla ice cream (for tasting purposes) was enough for her tall friend; since ice cream wasn't exactly attainable in his world, she had promised to take him on ice cream runs during his visits.

ஜ۩۞۩ஜ

Earth was a strange thing to Tawarthion. There was an unmistakable darkness within the confines of this world, one that set his very spirit on edge. It was similar to the darkness that had been threatening Middle-Earth since the fall of Melkor; but this darkness was, somehow, greater and more powerful than Melkor; and this had greatly unnerved Tawarthion. Frightened him, even. For what power could _possibly_ outmatch Melkor?

Yet at the same time, Earth held a magnificent and wonderful presence – an imprint of a certain power that far outweighed and overwhelmed the apparent darkness. It brought peace and calm to his being; a familiar feeling that he had often felt in his youth (and only his youth). But what _was_ it?

Tawarthion let out a perplexed sigh and leaned back on his palms as he gazed at the stars above him. In past visits he had observed how the stars of Earth could, dare he think it, put Varda's beautiful stars to shame. And as he sat on the roof of his temporary Earth-home, a shiver on wonder rushed through him.

He had taken a stroll amongst the trees the following morning. With the grass beneath his bare feet and the morning breeze lazily passing by, he soon came to a stop and simply marveled at the life around him. He could have sworn that he heard whispers from the surrounding trees; and those supposed whispers sang of something more wondrous than what Middle-Earth had ever witnessed in its long existence.

When he met with Eadaion that day, she had just barely gotten a greeting out before his long buried unasked questions escaped him, not even allowing a proper greeting from him in return.

"Eadaion . . . what is this world? What is Earth?"

Tawarthion had his speculations of Earth's creation, for there was only one Ilúvatar, but knowing this was not enough for his curiosity.

The young girl was quiet at first, waiting to see if he had any more questions for her. Then she smiled, and that smile sparked a wild hope within him.

 _She knows the answer!_

"This world, Tawarthion, is of The One's own thought – of His speech."

". . . Of His speech?"

"Yes. Look at this way," she began, "The creation of Arda, how did it go?"

Tawarthion held back an exasperated huff. He was on the verge of _finally_ having answers to his questions, but now they were talking about Arda of all things. His desperation for answers made him anxious and impatient.

His voice remained steady, but a hint of his impatience had leaked through and Eadaion couldn't help but smile more when said, "At the beginning, when Ilúvatar created the Ainur, He taught them to sing a great song that He Himself composed. Eru showed the Ainur a vision of what the song brought forth, that being Arda and Ea (Ea being the universe). Eru granted Arda true being, and according to Eru's will, the Ainur, with the ability given to them, set off to form it in readiness for Eru's children."

Eadaion nodded and lightly chewed her lip in thought. How in the world was she going to explain this?

"Well . . . the creation of this world was not through the servants of Ilúvatar. The One had an image of this world and, seeing that it was good, spoke it into being. Earth is His handiwork, Tawarthion, made by His very hands. And as such, His fingerprints are everywhere."

Tawarthion was silent for a good minute or two as he took in this information. "His handiwork . . ." he muttered in thought. A little smile graced his lips when his mind pieced it all together. However, that smile vanished when another thought hit him, "But there is a darkness to this world."

Eadion almost hadn't heard what he had said for it came out in a whisper, "You feel it, too?"

"It is greater than Melkor." He stated with a nod. His voice had become somewhat shaky, "That power, Eadaion, what is it?"

The girl sighed, "That would be the enemy, Tawarthion. As for what he is, he is the root of all evil; a powerful and very deceitful being; before his fall, he elevated himself to be equal to The One, and that he should be worshipped." Tawarthion listened intently, eyes locked onto the girl before him as she spoke, "The enemy convinced a third of The One's servants to side with him, and as a result, they were all cast out of Ilúvatar's presence."

"Does he have a name?"

"He has many names, but he is commonly called 'the devil' and he hates all that is good. That darkness you feel now is his doing."

She said no more after that, and Tawarthion simply looked away in thought. If this 'devil' is the root of all evil . . . then what happened with Morgoth -

 _The Void._

As if she had read his mind, Eadaioin questioned him about Morgoth's reason for entering the Void, and Tawarthion answered with, "Morgoth entered the Void looking for the Flame Imperishable. When he returned to Ilúvatar, he became rebellious against The One, and disrupted the Theme of Ilúvatar soon after. Do you think he encountered this 'devil' in the Void?"

"It's a possibility," Eadaion said with a light shrug, "Evil always finds a foothold to destroy as much as it possibly can, but the cause of Morgoth's rebellion may very well have been his own ambition. I won't question it further though, as I know little about the Ainur and Valar and . . . all of that."

Tawarthion had nothing more to ask or say concerning this topic, neither did Eadaion, and the two fell into a contemplative calm. All was still and quiet save for the mess of noise coming from the nearby city and the rustling leaves of the oak tree they sat beneath.

"When walking around without shoes," Eadaion cautioned with a new smile when she noticed his unshod feet, "Be mindful of fire-ants."

"Fire-ants?"

"Nasty little things – disturb their mound and they'll swarm your feet. They're red in color and pack quite the sting, especially in swarms. Their mounds can get pretty ridiculous, you'll know it when you see it."


End file.
